The Damned's Hope
by Dawn of Chaos
Summary: He was sent on a mission to discover a realm full of negativity and darkness. What he didn't expect was to find the light of hope in the heart of it. All he plans to do is shatter it and begin to make this world his own - not that things ever turn out like one plans. - AR Before BBS - Mid FFXIII-2 - Crack Pairing - Boylove


In another realm, catastrophe reigns supreme. The floating city of Cocoon slowly falls toward the land of Gran Pulse. Two young women sacrifice themselves to save millions of lives – using their granted powers to construct a crystal pillar between the two colliding worlds. A shell of crystal covers Cocoon in minutes to successfully hold it up in the sky.

Despite the saving grace, citizens alike still feel the impact of sorrow and the hatred of why this has happened. Their blissful lives remain shattered as time continues to move forward – waiting for no one.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

Thirteen years pass since that day of tragedy and rebirth. Even while lives return to genuine peace without the threat of being ruled over, people remain distasteful and sour of having their cozy lives uprooted. Some remain on the surface of the suspended Cocoon despite the urgency to get down to Gran Pulse, a beautiful world of wildlife. At the base of the pillar rests this world, the crystal meeting sweeping plains of green and clear blue water.

This – _this_ – is where he arrives with ill intentions. A portal of jet black springs forth from thin air, stretching to the ground creating a door of sorts into this dimension. No one notices as there is no one to see him arrive. However, he can sense each of the people on in this realm and their darkness that pulsates like horde of hungry beasts. He can do nothing but grin for he is one of the darkness – the very personification. An organic-looking body suit covers his entire frame from boots to chin to show off his slight muscular build. The arms of his outfit begin in red only to fade to black at his elbows where it meets the chest of his outfit which is decorated in a red vein-like pattern. A maroon belt,with a jet-black cloth trimmed in red, attaches around his waist only to leave the front open for two belts to cross – uniting the sides of the cloth. Down to his feet is the same scheme as his arms expect they end in thick boots capable of withstanding any terrain.

He closes his golden eyes off from the world; thinking – searching – for the perfect first target. As he waits he slowly crawls through all the signatures of people until he's finally locked onto one bright light resting in inside a rather tall tower. Opening his eyes he smirks proudly and summons another corridor to travel through – the darkness rising from the ground. His ebony hair, spiking every which way, shifts at the appearance of a breeze just before the corridor closes behind him; taking him straight to the first person he wants to toy with just as his Master ordered him to do.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

The shadows fade from around the boy as he finds himself on the inside of a room. The furnishings are rather odd to his eyes – a metal desk in the corner attached to a wall with a chair behind it. A transparent blue screen hovers in the middle of it with books and folders to the sides. The rest of the room is shrouded in a hue of light blue with no other furniture save for a couple extra chairs. The male turns around from his ogling to see the only door open wide and slam shut in the presence of the one he's looking for.

The twenty-four year old standing before him is the picture of maturity, confidence, and leadership. His silver hair is straight, pushed back from the sides of his sharpened face where light blue-green eyes stare in confusion. A yellow wristband decorates his left wrist only and his hands hold onto the black gloves that are normally worn. He wears a long-sleeved yellow and white coat with a blue necktie. To offset the color is a pair of gray pants and black boots.

"Who are you and why are you in my office?"

He watches the man's eyes dart around the room as well as take a step back towards the door. Yes – this is the man he desires to control; for the light that shines from his heart blinds the creature of raw darkness. He merely strides calmly over to one of the spare chairs and sits down, showing that he means no harm to the man. "My name is Vanitas and I've come to help you."

"I don't need your help. I'll have to ask you to leave."

Vanitas stands with a shrug. "Fine by me. If you wish to complete your quest, you'll need my help. Simple as that."

"I don't know you."

"You don't need to know someone to accept there help." Vanitas strides toward the man, who steps aside, and reaches for the door even though he plans to merely use a portal the second he's out of this human's sight. "Call for me if you change your mind." He opens the door and shuts it quickly, making sure no one sees as he disappears into thin air. The man hurries to open the door to follow him only to see an empty hallway. A sigh quickly follows Vanitas' leave, the silver-haired man retreating to his desk to resume his work.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

Several days pass before Vanitas openly seeks out the man once more – having remained in the shadows of his life to learn more about him, to discover his weak points. Tonight in particular he follows him to what must be his home; a small one bedroom, one bath place. Vanitas waits for him to get ready for bed before he appears in the kitchen; walking slowly towards the bedroom. From the doorway he can hear the elder male sigh heavily before collapsing into the mattress in exhaustion. This is when Vanitas takes the opportunity to appear leaning against the door frame. "Tired are we?"

He bolts upright in bed and glares at the dark-haired male. "Are you stalking me?"

"I'm here to _help_ you, fool." Vanitas walks over to the edge of the bed. "This is the first time you've come to this place since I've met you."

"The more time I spend at the Tower the closer I get to solving the mysteries behind Lightning's disappearance." He shakes his head with a mock-smile. "Why am I telling you this?"

Vanitas turns away to grab at the picture frame on the nightstand. A young woman with much of the man's features smiles back at him. However, at the sight of Vanitas holding it, the male darts up over the side of the bed and snatches it away – sending Vanitas down onto the mattress.

"Don't touch anything!"

"Touchy. Jeez...I was just looking."

A gentle sigh as he sets the photograph back down. "It's all I have left of my Mother, I'd prefer you not to touch it. It's precious to me."

"Mothers – never had one."

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

Once more he seeks Hope out only to find him in his bedroom – flipping through a binder full of brisk and yellowed pages. Vanitas strides up beside the bed, leaning against the window rather casually. "Is this what you're researching?"

Hope takes a deep breath and glares up at him, "You should know if you're here to help me. Why don't you tell me the truth?"

"I came because of the darkness in your heart. I don't know your name or what the hell you're doing so keep the tone to a minimum."

He pushes the binder to the side. "I'm sorry... my name's Hope Estheim." The silver-haired male leans back on his hands. "Years ago I lost my mother and not long after that my friend, the only one I _really_ cared about vanished from time. I could remember she didn't die yet she wasn't there. I've done all I can to get to the bottom of the mystery – to at least save her even if I can't bring my mother back. Now all my others friends are going missing. I'm all that's left – standing alone against all these obstacles."

Vanitas pushes away from the wall, looking down at him. "That's why I am here."

"You can bring them back?"

"Don't make me laugh. I told you came because of the darkness in your heart."

"What does that mean?"

Hope sits back up just in time for Vanitas to grab at his chin, angling his face to look up at golden eyes. "It means your slowly dying from the inside out – succumbing to the darkness of man even though you obviously can't handle the power it can give if harnessed correctly. You're poisoning yourself."

Fearful, he smacks Vanitas' hand away and shoves him back. "Get out!"

Vanitas watches as Hope cradles his head, backing up into a portal with a pleased look on his face. Yes, he's made progress in such a short time. The light he had seen truly isn't as strong as he believes it had been. This boy is _weak_ in his eyes.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

Vanitas appears in the corner of Hope's bedroom, watching instantly as the boy doesn't so much as flinch at his sudden presence. Instead he crosses his arms over his chest and remains away from the man that stands before the single shrouded window in the room. The silver-haired man tilts his head back slightly, breathing in heavily. "Please... leave."

"I'm here to take care of you and you're looking awful, so why not just tell me what's wrong."

"I...all my plans-."

"It's useless; nothing you do is working. You should just stop struggling to save everyone."

Hope idles, those words nailing his feet to the ground. "How do you know?" The boy walks forward and reaches out for Hope's arm, tugging at him to turn around. Hope hesitantly looks into Vanitas' golden eyes. Those eyes gleam dangerously at him; hidden emotions locked away from prying eyes. The feeling of defeat begins to claw at Hope as the dark haired boy smirks up at him. His tongue wets his lips. "Why are you even here?"

Vanitas leans close, his whisper being loud to the young man's ears. "For you..." He can see Hope shiver at his words, yet not daring enough to pull away. Taking his silence as a sign to continue, he does. "You've been through so much pain in your life already. Won't you let me take it away?"

Golden eyes linger on Hope's face even as he hangs his head. Vanitas can tell that the horrid memories, that he knows are there, are flashing behind his eyes. Since he's met this man he can see the positive exterior begin to crack as a frown tugs hard at his pale lips. Brilliant green eyes begin to darken as tears well up at the corners, threatening to spill over. Vanitas shifts and releases his hold of Hope's arm, preparing to let his words cripple the man completely.

Just as contact is broken Vanitas is thrown off guard as Hope's arms wrap around his middle. The much taller man kneels in front of Vanitas with his head against his chest. Vanitas can hear the soft sobs that shake the other man's shoulders gently. Looking down upon him Vanitas places a hand on Hope's head. A smile curls his lips due to his achievement, for he can already see the seeds of darkness he's planted inside the young man's heart.

"It'll all be okay. I'm here for you."

Fingers tighten against the skin tight body suit and Vanitas finds himself panicking almost. "I'm glad you came, Vanitas." Hope calms himself enough to stand up, wiping at his eyes. He moves over to sit on the edge of his bed and pats at the soft mattress, signaling for Vanitas to sit. However, the dark-haired male only stands in front of Hope, refusing to sit. "Where do you go when you leave me?"

"I watch over you. I never leave."

Pink dusts Hope's cheeks and he finds himself wondering if this man can see his blush even through the darkness of the room. "Then you wouldn't mind staying visible tonight?" He rubs at the back of his neck nervously. "I'm not sure if I can get to sleep."

Vanitas immediately sits down beside him, not wanting to ruin the progress he's made so far. "If you want." On the side that has the pillows, he tries not to eye them – he may be darkness itself but even the darkness sleeps.

"I can get you some different clothes if you want. Those look uncomfortable."

"Don't bother."

"But you can't sleep in that! Hey, keep your shoes off my bed!" Vanitas chuckles halfheartedly, something he wasn't aware he could do. "I'm serious; get undressed while I grab you some pants."

Hope hurries over to his dresser and pulls out a pair of black sweatpants to match his own gray ones. Looking down he sees his own white t-shirt and glances over his shoulder, "Do you want a...shirt..." Vanitas stares back at him, completely nude and without fear of showing off every inch of skin. Hope walks over and hands him the pants, keeping his eyes well away from the shorter male.

"This is fine."

Vanitas sits back down on the bed and Hope can't help but notice how pale his skin is, whiter than any he's seen; as if he has lived in darkness. Nonetheless Hope returns to the bed, crawling in the other side with the cover draped over his feet, knees pulled up to his chest. Vanitas stretches his legs out under the covers, although in his own mind he doesn't plan on staying any longer than to please this man. Yet he finds himself relaxing against the pillows and sinking a little into the mattress as Hope prattles on to him about his life and other trivial things. Vanitas is only stirred from his own thoughts when all the noise suddenly fades away and is replaced by weight on his shoulder.

During his previous sentence, Hope had fallen asleep and slumped down against Vanitas' shoulder. Deciding that now will be his only chance to leave, Vanitas tries to slip out of the bed only to rouse Hope. The male shifts enough to where his head lies against Vanitas' shoulder with a hand grasping at his arm, curled up against him. Vanitas can only sigh at the warmth that suddenly gathers around him thanks to the sleeping man. As he looks over at him all his hates seems to vanish for that split second – the peace spreading over Hope's features and lifting his lips up just into a miniscule smile plucks a heart string that shouldn't be there. A scowl replaces Vanitas' previous blank expression and works it out in his own mind that it would be easier to keep track of him by staying where he is – getting closer to the target is a must in a situation like this.

But, how close? Even as the dark-haired creature begins to fall asleep he's unable to see the blooms of light beginning to spring up from his "evil" heart.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

Vanitas awakes the next morning to an empty bed and the sun daring to try and get through the heavy curtain. He rubs at his eyes and sits up in the bed. Stretching his senses he discovers that Hope is gone and is proven right even further by the note on the bedside table. He can't help but roll his eyes as he picks it up, not understanding a word of what's written in elegant black script. Vanitas scoffs sourly and stands; the pants fall to the ground just as the darkness re-clothes him in his usual attire. A corridor of darkness springs forth out of the floor the next second and he's stomping through it to get to Hope as quickly as possible.

When he arrives in the elder's office he discovers it to be empty as well. Just as he turns to the door, Hope walks in and stares at him. "V...Vanitas?"

"Why did you leave? You didn't even wake me up!"

"I just... I have good news! I've found a way to help my friends. I can go into the future and do more there." Hope strides up to Vanitas and his baffled expression. "It's all thanks to you Vanitas. I would have given up if you hadn't come along." He wraps his arms around Vanitas, tugging him close in his warm embrace. "I can't thank you enough and I... well I don't know if you can travel through time. But I wanted to come and tell you goodbye if not. Hope pulls away, hands lingering on Vanitas' shoulders. "I wish to see you again someday – I promise I'll find you if I can."

Before Vanitas can do so much as open his mouth, Hope leans down and kisses his cheek. The now brave young man rushes back to the door and throws it open. He smiles back at the dark-haired Vanitas and gives a small wave, mouthing the words 'I promise' once before shutting the door with a firm click. Merely standing completely still Vanitas can only summon a portal and step through, his mind clouded and his heart growing impatient with the memories of Hope. He decides that first he'll return to his Master and brief him, then he'll find a way to travel to the time Hope spoke of – to confront all the conflicting emotions that have begun to rage inside his chest.

**-The-Damned's-Hope-**

"That realm was covered in darkness – the perfect candidate unlike this one. There are a few stronger willed humans that might stand in the way but with all of the disaster, there's a way through every shield they'll put up." As he gives his report, Vanitas can only think back to Hope; from the rare smile to the heart-wrenching tears. Everything about the man called for him to continue learning about him. In truth, Vanitas wished for his "Master" to be pleased enough to grant him a return and if he did not he would probably leave anyway. He could survive in that world and bring that light filled male down with all the others. At that thought he hesitates and can only divert his gaze to the ground.

"Is that all you have to report?"

"Yes."

Vanitas turns his back to Master Xehanort, looking out over the cliffs scarred from war. For a brief moment his lip twitches down from its smirk and into a frown. His brows knit together at the feeling that causes his chest to ache sharply. He's never felt something like this; something that hurts him more than what the feeling of pain feels like. Preoccupied with his thoughts he doesn't notice the way that Master Xehanort glares at his back. The elder man can clearly see Vanitas' failure, causing him to sigh grimly. In a flash he summons his Keyblade, gloved hands tightening around the hilt as he raises it.

Turning around at the sudden sound Vanitas is a second too late at summoning his weapon. Master Xehanort plunges his Keyblade into Vanitas' chest, the boy's golden eyes becoming a dull yellow. The old Keyblade Master removes his key and dismisses it, allowing Vanitas to crumple to the ground unconscious.

Hovering over the failure at his feet, Master Xehanort shakes his head slightly. "Light taking root in pure darkness..." the mumble drifts away on the wind as his eyes harden into a glare, "...It's a shame to have to start over with you. There had been so much progress already."

* * *

_Ugh...this took forever. I don't want to look at it. Sick of editing, rewriting, and just ... I hope someone liked this. ;^; I don't want to look at this again for awhile...  
__A big thanks to Besieged-Infection for helping in expanding the idea without you there would have been no way I could have made it past the 1K word mark X'D Love you girl!_


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